Dear Santa,
How have you been this year? I have been "OK." I have tried to be good and I think that I have but I am sure that there are people that would disagree. So I am not going to ask for presents for myself this year. I wanted to put together a list for other people if you please.
First on the list is a present for our premier, Gordon Campbell. You remember Gordon, don't you? I hope so. I mean getting caught for drunk driving during the holidays isn't one of those things that get you permanently put on the naughty list, is it?
And I am sure that all of the mean-spirited exercises that he has engaged in over the years were all just part of the fun of politics. I mean closing schools and cutting hospital beds are all part of the big plan to make our economy grow, I am sure, and growing the economy has been his number one priority. Some might even argue that it has been his number two, three, four, five... well, his whole agenda.
So, in that vein, and with the holiday season, I wish you would bring understanding to Gordon that big business isn't everything. I am not sure how you would package this up. Maybe you could arrange for him to spend some time working with the poor or taking care of a family while living at welfare rates. Or maybe we could even name some of the closed schools after him. You know, "the school that used to be known as Gordon Campbell elementary."
Failing that, maybe you could just give him a teddy bear.
My second request is for our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Stephen hasn't been anywhere near as naughty as Gordon on a personal scale but he really hasn't had a chance to flex his political muscles. I mean, with a minority government, it is pretty much impossible for him to push his agenda.
He has shown a strange reticence to understand that Canadians are good people who lack the fear and paranoia that seems to permeate the lives of those that live downstairs. We don't really want everyone to carry a gun or to be afraid of imminent terrorist attacks. Heck, we even like our jelly beans to be made with something other than ground up charcoal. And we are not afraid to fill in the long form census.
So, for Stephen, I was hoping that you would bring him a sense of what being Canadian is really all about. Maybe an understanding of the impacts of climate change that doesn't involve finding out just how much each polar bear is worth. Or some time spent working in a fishing village on either coast. Enough time to get to know that we are a great and diverse people.
Failing that, maybe another teddy bear would be in order.
More locally, for minister Pat Bell, I was wondering if you could please bring him a program of forestry research. I know that this is a really expensive program. It might even cost a few million dollars. But in the long run, it will ensure that our children's generation and their children have trees and the possibility of a sustainable forest.
Research is one of the dirty words to those on the political right but it is about finding answers to questions that have yet to be asked.
Expensive?
Sometimes, and when the bottom line is "what can we do for businesses right now," it is not readily apparent that money should be spent on some possible future gain. However, it is necessary and it is not just about government workers wanting to keep their jobs even though they aren't paid enough. (By the way Santa, could you please find a way to help government workers who are not getting raises this year? Maybe a break on the HST?)
Failing that, without a properly funded forestry research program, you might bring minister Bell a chain saw for Christmas.
I wish you would bring minister Shirley Bond some more money to fix the potholes that will be appearing on our roads come spring.
And maybe a completed project or two that will come in under budget. Being in charge of highways has to be one of the best positions in government.
They are incredibly tangible and easy to deal with. Still, a few dollars saved on some of the projects around the province would be appropriate.
But if not a project under budget, how about a new teddy bear?
As to the leadership hopefuls for both parties, I would ask that you bring them a fair, full, and engaged campaign in which they get to meet with and understand many British Columbians.
Whoever we have as a leader, on both sides of the Legislature, really has their work cut out for them. Maybe bringing them a big shovel would be a good idea as well.
As for me, I do have one thing that I would ask - could we please have some "peace, love, and understanding" for the year to come? Thank you.
Merry Christmas,
Todd
